


Sweet Treat

by TheShitCook



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Deja Vu, Fluff, M/M, literally tooth-rotting, snack stealing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 17:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14086416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShitCook/pseuds/TheShitCook
Summary: Paul's fallen into a habit of stealing Daryl's favourite snacks, and Daryl decides to confront him about it.





	Sweet Treat

     It’s not like he’s starving or anything because of it, more of a nuisance really. There’s still plenty of food in Hilltop. Hell, if it were really a bother he could book it to the Kingdom or Alexandria and pick something up, eat it on the way back and pretend like he’d just gone on a hunt. In fact, he could just get better at hiding his own damn food. Though, no matter how thoroughly he hides his oat bars and peanut butter cups, he always catches a glimpse of the younger, long-haired, fuzzy-faced man wandering down a pathway or sitting in a tree branch, munching away like he owns the damn thing.

     At first, he just assumed Paul wasn’t eating enough. That he was giving up his portions to the young and the old of Hilltop only to return to his tiny trailer with an empty stomach and the need to eat whatever he could get his hands on. So, Daryl started leaving extras out on the kitchen counter and the nightstand of Paul’s bed. He also changed his hiding spot to keep his own snacks safe. Under the bed, in the same box he normally kept his crossbow bolts, or inside of an empty bottle of shampoo he kept below the kitchen sink. Yet, _his_ snacks kept going missing and the ones he left for Paul stayed put. Collecting dust and shifted just slightly so that Daryl _knew_ Paul was seeing them, not like they were hard to miss.

     The notes are what pushed him over the edge. Sticky notes in place of his fruit pouches and little Debbie snacks, like the fact that the smug little shit kept finding them wasn’t enough any more. The smiley faces where taunting, the crudely drawn middle fingers where childish. But the hearts and kissy emoji’s, those where getting on his nerves. He’s about to tell Paul as much as he watches him head out of Hilltop’s gates for a “walk”. Daryl gives him a ten-minute head start, then he follows. He tracks him silently, down the road for a kilometer, then veering off into a thinly wooded area. He goes straight through to a small meadow. There’s pale flowers spotting the area and tall, weedy grass that reaches up to his knees in some points, mid-calf in others.

     Jesus is standing in the centre of it, staring up at the overcast sky that’s been slowly clearing over the past few days. It rained last night and the remaining ash-coloured clouds are well on their way towards the Sanctuary, or what’s left of it. The whole area smells like fresh dew and the blades of grass rubbing against his legs are damp as he slowly trudges along the worn path. Jesus turns his head slightly and Daryl can see that he’s got one of his stale zebra cakes shoved in his gob, holding onto the plastic packaging with his hand and chewing thoughtfully.

     “Hey!” Daryl calls and Paul’s head snaps in his direction. He smirks victoriously and waves with his other hand before bolting in the other direction. Daryl starts after him, sprinting like he did when he first tried to keep the little hippie from stealing his truck. Jesus must have taken the cake out of his mouth because he’s shouting back at him now.

     “I’m getting a bit of déjà vu here Daryl!” He chuckles at the end of it and Daryl growls. He can see his snack in his hands. ~~Prick.~~

     “Then ya know how this ‘s gon’ end! You flat on yer ass!” Daryl hollers and Paul’s laughter only picks up as he doubles back, going around Daryl in a wide circle and waving the cake over his head. Daryl picks up his pace as much as he can, though he’s already giving it a hundred percent. His lungs are starting to ache a bit and he blames his smoking habit for that coming on so soon, but he’s finally catching up. Paul suddenly yelps and falls forward, disappearing into the tall grass. For one heart-stopping moment, Daryl thinks that maybe Paul’s been dragged into the dirt by a walker, clawing at his clothes and snapping its teeth at him.

     However, there’s no signs of a struggle as he gets closer. He’s about to call out for the younger man when he finally catches up to him and get’s the full picture. Paul, flat on his back and holding the other half of the cake as far away from the ground as he can while he takes in gasping breaths. He’s covered in dirt and bits of grass and his legs are slung over a log. The log that he tripped on. Daryl snorts and Jesus looks up at him petulantly, toque slightly askew on his head and one hand clearing the dirt from his beard.

     “Told ya.” Daryl snickers and leans forward to claim his prize, but Jesus pulls his hand back. He sticks half of the cake in his mouth and Daryl straddles him. “You little shit-!” He curses as Paul smirks up at him. His eyes crinkle up with his cheeky grin and Daryl glares heatedly.

     “Watcha gon’ do nah?” Paul’s voice is muffled through the snack and Daryl’s tempted to yank what’s left of it out of his mouth and punch him square in the nose again, get the full déjà vu experience. Then another idea crosses his mind that he thinks will floor the ninja a bit more. Maybe wipe that dumb smirk off his face once and for all.

     And if it finally breaks the sexual tension that’s been building slowly between them, that’s just an added bonus.

     Daryl cages his arms around Paul’s head, hands wrapping around his slighter wrists to keep him in place. Paul cocks his eyebrows daringly, self-assured attitude practically emanating from every part of him. It’s as if he’s glowing with pride.

     “Gon’ drop it?” Daryl gives him another out and Paul shakes his head adamantly. “Paul.” Another shake, and his fate is sealed. “Alright.” Daryl shrugs a bit before leaning down.

     “Gon’ knock me ou’ again?” Jesus goads, choking on his own words as Daryl takes the rest of the cake, still sticking out from between Paul’s lips, into his mouth. He bites off a small piece of it and eats it slowly, eyes boring into Paul’s as he chews. _Goddamn, what colour are this guys eyes?_ Paul goes still as Daryl takes another bite and considers this thought a bit too thoroughly. Their lips brush and the corner of Daryl’s mouth twitches up a bit when Paul whimpers, cheeks tinting pink. Daryl presses forward and it’s far too sugary for his taste. The only reason he always has them on him is for hunting since it’s good to get the sugars in. It tastes stale and overly sweet though, like a fluffy toothache covered in icing.

     Somewhere in the back of his mind, Daryl knows he’s pushing some personal boundaries. But this game of chicken that the younger man’s been playing with him couldn’t be considered anything other than flirting. And if his lack of pulling away in disgust and the colour quickly rushing to his cheeks is any indication, then the payoff is totally worth the price.

     Paul’s still relatively silent when Daryl tilts his head to take another bite, their mouths finally flush. He suddenly seems to gain some form of recognition over the situation and he surges forward while Daryl’s tongue darts out to steal the cake that’s still in his mouth. Daryl starts to lick away the remaining icing, in more spots than he’s sure the cake ever touched. But Paul’s doing everything he can to keep Daryl’s mouth attached to his and Daryl’s starting to look for excuses to keep it there. Daryl, more than a little reluctantly, pulls away to finish off the last bite of cake that’s been sitting in the corner of his mouth. He almost chokes on it.

     Paul looks like an absolute mess. His chest is heaving with the quick breaths that are falling from his lips, quiet pants that Daryl can hardly pick up, even with his well-trained ears. His hands haven’t moved, though Daryl has now released them. His eyes are slightly hooded and staring right at him. Right through him it feels like. He looks dazed, just like he did the time he’d hopped into the truck and so smoothly ordered Daryl to “duck”. His cheeks are flushed and he’s gaping up at Daryl like he’s trying to figure out some sarcastic comment, but he can’t. Daryl decides that leaving the scout speechless is a rather sizable victory. He runs his tongue over his lower lip and Paul follows the movement with his eyes, then he flicks his gaze back up to meet Daryl’s. It should really be illegal for somebody with eyes like that to stare directly at you, not like people are really following the laws anymore anyway.

     “So… You’re gay?” Paul breathes, and it sounds hopeful and a little higher than usual. Daryl lets a short smirk crack his stoic features, and nods. It’s only once, but it feels like letting go. Like he’s finally been able to properly face it since puberty hit and he started having to think about dead puppies and his dad’s belt every time he entered the locker room at school.

     “Yup…” Daryl huffs through his own shortage of breath and notices Paul’s toque for the second time. His hands immediately move to fix it, not at all so that he can smooth his hands down the side of Paul’s head and cup his jaw after. Paul’s eyes flutter shut with the touch and Daryl knows that he probably looks just as flushed as Paul right now.

      “Well then… I think you missed a piece.” Paul grins and Daryl shakes his head, but he leans forward again anyway. Just to prove Paul wrong.

     He’s surprised by the whimpering moan that Paul makes when their mouths collide. He shivers at the sound and Paul’s hands go to his arms, squeezing his biceps and rubbing them up and down. Daryl grunts and one of his hands goes to Paul’s chest. Paul arches into the touch and deepens the kiss, tilting his head so that he can suck on Daryl’s lower lip. Daryl smooths his hand down Paul’s chest slowly, over his abdomen, and down to the hem of his shirt. He scrunches his eyes together nervously before rucking it up and slipping his hand underneath.

     The first thing he notices is how soft he is. His skin feels pliant beneath his fingers. Then his warmth. It’s bleeding through his skin and making his palm feel hot. He gropes his muscled belly and Paul gasps. Daryl thinks he’s pushed too far for a second and begins to retreat. Paul grabs his wrist and keeps him where he was, then his hands go back to worshipping his arms.

     “Fuck, your arms are ridiculous…” Jesus groans and Daryl flexes them, just to see the way Jesus will react. He’s not disappointed when the younger man grinds up against him and tightens his grip on the thick muscles. Jesus is about to snake his hands around Daryl’s back when he suddenly hears a low, garbled groan from not too far off. Daryl snaps to his feet, unsheathing his pistol and taking the lumbering corpse down with a well-placed shot to the head. Daryl’s shoulders sag and he shoves the gun back into it’s holster. He reaches down and offers Jesus a hand back up and Jesus sighs dejectedly.

     “Other geek’s’ll have heard that, we should head back.” Daryl explains and Jesus takes his hand, pulling himself up and directly into Daryl’s chest. Daryl wraps his other arm around Paul’s lower back and holds him close enough to whisper in his ear. “We’ll finish this off later.” Jesus shivers and his lips curve into a Cheshire grin.

     “Damn straight we will.” He elbows the older man and then slips out of his hold, heading off in the direction of Hilltop. Daryl follows behind him, hands shoved in his pockets as he imagines where he’ll hide his next snack.

**Author's Note:**

> To all of my loyal readers and subscribers, I want to thank you all sincerely for sticking by my side and being so supportive of my works. This work is forever going to hold a special place in my heart, whether it gains popularity or not, for it is on this work that I shall finally share with you something that has very much become a huge part of me, and who I want to become.  
> It is here that I am coming out as a transgender male. I've decided to properly begin the process once I arrive back home from studying abroad. I finally feel comfortable in the clothes that I am wearing and the size of my chest (thank you binders!) and it's something that I am truly happy to share with you all.  
> Your comments and your kudos have made me so happy and given me the confidence I have always needed to make decisions such as this.  
> So I am truly thankful to all of you, and I look forward to continuing sharing my works with you and making you smile when you need it. I love you all!


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